The production of underground hydrocarbons often requires substantial investment in drilling and pumping equipment. When production is underway, up-front costs can be recouped provided operating costs remain low enough for the sale of oil and/or gas to be profitable. One factor which significantly effects the operating costs of many wells is the amount of water present within the associated hydrocarbon producing formation. Many profitable wells become uneconomic because of excessive water production. Costs involved with pumping, separating, collecting, treating and/or disposing of water often have a devastating impact on the profit margins, particularly for older wells with declining hydrocarbon production.
Over the years, many attempts have been made to limit the amount of water produced by a well. Down-hole video has been utilized to determine which perforations within the well produce the most oil, and which perforations produce the most water. Chemicals and/or cement may then be utilized in an effort to shut off water producing perforations. One such down-hole video revealed that oil droplets were distinctly separate from the water that was being produced. More importantly, it was recognized that oil and water are typically separated by gravity segregation in the wellbore until they are mixed together by the downhole pump.
In order to capitalize on this phenomena, the Dual Action Pumping System ("DAPS") was developed wherein a dual ported, dual plunger rod pump produced oil and water from the annulus on the upstroke while injecting water on the down stroke. In many suitable wells DAPS have substantially increased production while simultaneously reducing power requirements.